Theresa May reveals she shed a 'little tear' on election night

In an interview with the BBC released a year to the day after she became Prime Minister, May said she was left “devastated” by the poll — which accurately predicted a hung parliament — and had to be consoled by her husband, who broke the news to her on election night in June.

May’s Conservative Party had its governing majority wiped out in one of the most dramatic nights in British political history. The result left her facing calls for her resignation.

“We didn’t see the result that came coming,” she said. “When the result came through, it was a complete shock.”

“It took a few minutes for it to sort of sink in, what that was telling me. My husband gave me a hug,” she added, before revealing she shed a “little tear.”

May: I thought the result would be better

May, who at the time commanded only a slim majority in parliament, said she decided to call the snap election in order to secure a strong mandate from the British public for her approach to Brexit negotiations with the EU.

In April the Conservatives held a 20-point lead in the polls over the main opposition Labour Party and were widely expected to gain a larger majority in the House of Commons.

But the party’s campaign, which was heavily criticized by several of its own members, proved unpopular with voters.

In the BBC interview released Thursday, May said that although she was aware the campaign was not “going perfectly,” she said messages being passed on to her suggested “we were going to get a better result than we did.”

May also revealed she had no thoughts of resigning in the aftermath of the result, adding: “I didn’t consider stepping down because I felt there was a responsibility to ensure that the country still had a government.”

Her decision to remain in charge has failed to quell speculation surrounding her leadership, with rumors of a challenge continuing to swirl around Westminster.

She has also attracted criticism for striking a deal with the right wing Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland in order to prop up her government and ensure a slim governing majority.

The £1 billion deal, which secured the votes of the 10 DUP lawmakers at Westminster, was chastised by May’s opponents who pointed to the DUP’s anti-abortion and anti-gay rights stance.

But while she has managed to keep her party in power, May is now facing another headache in the shape of Brexit.

‘Great Repeal Bill’ published

On Thursday, her government published the European Union (withdrawal) bill — also known as the “Great Repeal Bill” — which is set to repeal the 1972 European Communities Act, which allowed Britain to join the EU and led to European law taking precedence over law made in the UK parliament.